Part 8 - completed part!
One week had passed and Riddhima had managed to avoid Armaan. She spoke with Riya over the phone, and went to visit her when she knew armaan was on duty. Armaan tried to speak to Riddhima many times, but it was of no use. She thanked her lucky stars when Dr. Keerti asked her to return to Lonavna for the kids checkups. This time Muskaan was going with her. Muskaan left earlier, while Riddhima was going to meet Rahul for a coffee first. She had tried speaking with him all week, but they could never find time. She needed to confess to him, but she wasnt sure how.
She entered the coffee shop and was nervous to see Rahul there and waiting. The big relief was that she knew they were not dating seriously. Sure they went on dates and such as a couple and had terrmed each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, but there was no future to this relation. It was like time pass for both of them. They went out for dinner and movies, but nothing more then that. They hadn't even kissed. She didn't want to admit it, but for her dating Rahul meant she could be closer to Riya. She had hoped she would end up being Riya's chachi. Not because she loved rahul - no she didnt feel for him in that sense at all, but because she loved riya very much, though she could never admit that to anymore.
Riddhima sat down at the table and sighed. "Rahul, I don't know how to tell you this par...woh unintentionally i've been unfaithful. Woh i'm not sure ki kaise hua or anything, par ek raat woh accidently i got drunk. I mean we didnt even know it was alcohol aur phir next thing i knew i had a bad hangover and well i was in a very compromising position with another man. Although it was an accident and a mistake, i understand it was wrong and not acceptable. But at the same time, although I regret it for personal reasons, and i feel bad for cheating on you, i can't help but to think that although this relation is new, there was no future to it. We both know very well that we weren't serious about each other and well it was a sort of time pass. I hope ki you aren't too upset with me, and rather then being a couple, or simply ex's we can be friends."
Rahul looked at Riddhima, processing what she just said. "Well i suppose i should be hurt, but strangely I'm not. I'd very much love to be friends still. Can I ask just one question though? Who is he? I mean do I know him?"
Riddhima gulped as she wondered what to say, how could she tell him it was his brother. "Um Shayad, par i'd rather not say. What happened between me and him was a mistake. Nothing more."
Rahul looked at her and wondered if she really cared about Armaan. Yes he knew. Armaan was his brother and the guilt was killing him. Armaan had confronted and confessed their mistake to Rahul the very next day. He had apologized profusely. Rahul could not blame his brother. He knew the truth about Armaan's past and his relation with Nicole. he knew how Riya was conceived. He knew that Riddhima had been Armaan's first. .He knew armaan had a miserable life, one rahul would never want for himself. He hoped that Armaan found true love soon. As he spent the week thinking about it, he started realizing that maybe just maybe his brother was in love with his girlfriend.
Rahul watched Riddhima get up and leave.
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Riddhima was driving to Lonavna thinking everything over. She was almost there when her phone rang. She smiled seeing the callers name. "Hi Papa!"
Shanky- "hello beta how are you?"
"i'm good, driving to Lonavna for checkups and such."
Sh - Why is the country's best child specialist doing checkups?
Riddhima laughs before saying, "well some of the kids are really sick, so it made sense. Besides i'll be back soon."
Sh - haha well i guess now that you are out of town, I get to be the best child specialist now. haye so sad, being second best to my own daughter!
Just then Riddhima heard someone else speaking to Shashank. "Sir A critical patient has just come in. She is 2 years old. She had a severe accident. Her father works for Sanjeevni. They came here as they know Dr. Riddhima is not there right now. Patient koi Riya Mallik hai"
Riddhima stopped the car with a jerk. "PAPA RIYA MALLIK? Papa you have to go NOW! Please save her quickly. Please papa don't let anything happen to her. Please papa! I'm coming right now. please papa don't delegate this one to Dr. Viren. I don't trust him with riya. please papa handle this case. Papa I'm on my way there. Please bachalo use"
Riddhima hung up not caring for his reaction. She sent a quick text to muskaan saying she wouldn't be making it to Lonavna as something serious came up. She then proceeded to drive rashly to her father's children hospital at an unreal speed. She cursed the fact that she was so far away.
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After a gruesome hour of surgery, Shashank came out of the OT and put his hand on hysterical Armaan's shoulder. "She's out of danger now. Surgery successful."
Armaan thanked Shashank profusely and hugged him. "Thank you Dr. Thankyou! Apne mere jaan ko bachaliya. She is my everything. I can't live without her. Thank you so much Dr." Shashank smiled, "its no problem. actually its all thanks to my daughter. I was about to give this case to another doctor, but i was on the phone with my daughter who told me to do it. After completing it I am grateful I was the one to do it. I have a sense of satisfaction knowing she is safe now. Waise she is such a sweet child. How did she get hurt like that? i mean to say ki uska accident kaise hua tha" Armaan closed his eyes and said, "actually woh she was upstairs aur she heard a car driving up to our driveway. Although it's tuesday, she thought it was wednesday - the day she spends with her dear friend. In her rush, she fell down the stairs. Unfortunately I was on duty at the time. My mom was at home with her and managed to bring her here in time and called me on the way." Shashank nodded then led Armaan to Riya's room.
Armaan runs as he sees his little baby lying on the hospital bed with a cast on her arm and her leg. "Riya! My Baby!" Armaan's tears start flowing like crazy. He hugs riya and begins kissing her face all over. "Pa Ri kay. Pa Ri kak." Riya wipes her fathers tears with her small palm and kisses her fathers cheek to make him stop crying like he always does for her. "Ri tumne aisa kyun kiya? agar kuch hojata toh? you know na ki tum mere zindagi ho? you are my entire life baby." Riya pouts and says, "sorry pa" She starts looking around the room and then towards the door. "rima?" Armaan looked at Riya befuddled. She was hurt in the hosipital and still asking for riddhima? Suddenly Riya's tears start flowing. "Papa...Ri...ri..rima?" Due to her crying, it sounded more like she was saying ri's ma...
Shashank slightly smiled and said, "lagta hai ri wants her mother. kaha hai woh?" Just then they heard a girl yelling and crying. "Riya..Riya baby" They barely saw a girl run in and hug Riya. the girl had her back facing Shashank. She was kissing riya all over her face. "Lagta hai riya ka ma agaya."
"ri...ma...rimaa..."
"I'm sorry baby, im so sorry i wasn't there...yeh kaise hua? bohot dard hua na??" The girl continued kissing Riya all over when suddenly something clicked in Shashank's mind.
"Riddhima?" Riddhima turned around and saw her father standing there with his mouth agape. "Papa!" She ran and hugged him tightly letting her tears flow. "Papa i was so scared ki use kuch hojayega...woh theek haina? woh theek haina papa?" Shashank looked at his daughter confused. "Haan she;s fine...par um...tum use kaise jaante ho? aur woh tum itna kyyun ro rahe ho?" Riddhima wasn't even sure how to explain it to her dad. After all what was riddhima to riya? there wasn't any term to word it. she felt like riya was her daughter, but that wasnt the case. Riya was and could never be her daugher. She parted from her dad not knowing what to say and simply ran out to the terrace crying.
Armaan saw riddhima running out, he knew she needed someone. he noticed rahul didnt make any move to go so he sighed and went after her.
Armaan went up to the terrace and felt his heart hurting even more as he saw her leaning against the edge crying. He went up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Riddhima..." She immediately turned and hugged him, pouring her tears out on his chest.
Armaan puts his arms around her and rubs her back. "Shhh riddhima its okay riya ab theek hain, riya theek hain" Riddhima cries and says, "agar use kuch ho jata toh? aur aur when she gets hurt, or when she cries, why does it affect me so much? why do i love her so much? i am a childrens doctor, par why do i spend my time thinking about her? why do i love her more than my own niece? what right do i have to love her so much? what am i to her? nothing! i know she is your daughter, but why is it that when i take her out and people mistake her to be my daughter i can't help but wish it were true?"
Armaan was speechless. He had no idea she felt that way about riya. He wished she were her mother and his wife too. "shh riddhima its okay, your dating rahul na? toh dekho shayad you'll end up as her chachi? hm?" Riddhima shook her head against his chest. "nahin i broke up with him today. I..I don't love him. I never did. i hoped ki i could fall in love with him toh i could be closer to riya, par it didn't happen. I can't force love...aur we were never more then friends..."
Armaan didn't know why but he felt good knowing she didn't love his brother. "shhh riddhima shant ho jao. phir we have to go back to riya too."
That brought about another anger in Riddhima. "riya ka accident kaise hua? huh? tum kaha the?" armaan sighed knowing he failed his daughter, but it was an accident. "i was at work, on duty. ma ghar pe tha. riya was upstairs when she ran to go downstairs, but she fell down the steps instead. someone forgot to put back the baby gate. pata nahin kaun."
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On the other hand, Rahul, Anaya, and Billy were sitting in Riya's room,, when rahul spoke up. "Acha mom, i was thinking i mean you saw na how much riddhima cares for riya? aur even bro cares for riddhima - i mean the way he ran after her? toh kyun na unke shaadi..." Just then Shashank, who had just entered the room again spoke, "actually that sounds good. I want riddhima to settle down she is 27!, and the way she was crying over riya was well shocking. I had no idea she was so attached to riya. I mean Padma my wife told me she was friends with someone named riya and that she was extremely attached to her, but i had no idea that riya was a baby. But I mean, riya ka mom?" Anaya sighed, "she is no more, but she never cared for riya or armaan anyways, for her it was just the money. She didn't even share a bed with armaan, although Armaan doesnt know I know that. they had Riya through IVF." Shashank felt bad knowing that armaan and riya went through so much. He didn't ask the details as he figured it would be a sensitive topic. "toh kyun na, if you all are okay with it, i'll talk with Padma and then riddhima aur phir let's get them married?" Anaya smiled but then thought about it, "lekin armaan was married. he has a child. is that really what riddhima wants? most girls wont be okay with that." Shashank smiled before responding, "nahin my riddhima isn't like that. she wont mind. And going by how much she loves riya, i'm sure she'll be okay. I just want to ensure she isn't in love with someone else first from her."
They all smiled then stopped talking as Armaan and Riddhima walked back into the room to see Riya.
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part complete...
Edited by ammy_ka_ashu - 14 years ago
